Sampath Kumar, Aroon P. Manoharan, and Jayasharadha Chandrakalatharan delve into the nuances of building state capability through the State Capability Enhancement Project (SCEP), addressing systemic barriers like hierarchical rigidity and bureaucratic inertia. They propose a comprehensive framework with five verticals—Adaptive Leadership Building (ALB), Granular Performance Monitoring (GPM), Restructuring for Responsiveness (RFR), AI-enabled Decision-Making (AIEDM), and Incubating Innovation (II)—to foster adaptive, responsive governance.

Drawing on Amartya Sen’s capability framework and methodologies like Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA), they emphasize participatory governance, grassroots innovation, and iterative policy refinement. By integrating process mapping, performance indicators, and feedback loops, the authors blend local knowledge with external expertise, providing actionable strategies to transform governance and sustainably enhance state capability.

Chapter 29 – The Public Productivity and Performance Handbook